New Delhi, Mar 14 (IANS): Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, informed the Lok Sabha on Monday that under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, 21 types of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) have been notified.

These products generated 10,14,961.2 tonne e-waste in 2019-20, which is around 3 lakh more than the previous year.

The government said that the increase in generation of e-waste is due to increase in the sales of EEE in the country.

These notified EEE at the end of their life cycle become e-waste. The input data for estimation of generation of e-waste is available only from FY 2017-18 and for national level generation only.

The import and export of hazardous and other wastes is regulated under the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 notified by the ministry. The government had banned importing e-waste in the country..

The management of e-waste in the country is regulated under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016. Under the said rules, the responsibility of disposal of e-waste in a scientific and environmentally sound manner has been assigned to producers of notified EEE as listed in Schedule I of the said rules under the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

Under EPR, producers of EEE have given annual e-waste collection and recycling targets based on the generation from the previously sold EEE or based on sales of EEE as the case may be.